In the first half of the month, there were many preliminary reports
on the upcoming summer movie season. This crucial annual period is
usually accompanied by a massive amount of hype as studios vie for the
public's money. This summer is proving to be no exception.

In the first half of the month, there were many preliminary reports
on the upcoming summer movie season. This crucial annual period is
usually accompanied by a massive amount of hype as studios vie for the
public's money. This summer is proving to be no exception.

The runaway hit of the summer thus far is Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man,
which has been receiving all kinds of notice for its record-breaking
sales.

Its three-day opening weekend grossed a record $114.8 million. It
was also the first film to ever reach $200 million in just 10
days. While the movie was expected to do relatively well, it has far
exceeded anyone's expectations. It's interesting to note that in the
days before it was released, the Los Angeles Times (May 4) suggested
that the film "could take in as much as $80 million

during its
opening weekend.

Meanwhile, The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 5) appeared even further off
the mark, briefly addressing the film as being among "a couple of movies
that might even be good.

Of course, the public can be swept up in all
of the momentum and buy tickets to a film that's more hype than
substance, but most media reports are saying that the film has legs.
Several reports attributed its success to its wide-ranging demographic
appeal, from teens to adults, males to females.

Although many of the stories acknowledged that it was still too early in
the summer movie season (which traditionally doesn't even start until
Memorial Day weekend) to declare a winner, there were quite a few
reports that were already saying that Spider-Man should be able to fend
off the latest Star Wars installment, Attack of the Clones. In an
interview on CNN (May 9), one of the most influential movie reviewers
around, Harry Knowles of AintitCool.com, stated that he had seen both
films and liked Spider-Man better.

There also seemed to be a consensus that Clones would not be able best
Spider-Man's opening weekend sales, although only a handful of reports
explained that this was largely due to the former film being shown in
20% fewer theaters across the country.

Media coverage appeared to position Clones as not only in competition
against Spider-Man, but also against its most immediate predecessor in
the Star Wars saga, 1999's lukewarm Phantom Menace. The Los Angeles
Times (May 4) reported that part of the film's marketing strategy has
been "getting the word out that Clones is a better film than Phantom
Menace.

And that's exactly what early reviews have been saying. CNN
(May 6) reported enthusiastically, "The buzz on this movie ... is
extraordinary."

Several reports discussed movie studios' strategy of using franchise
films such as Spider-Man and Clones to boost sales this summer. The
Chicago Tribune (May 12) wrote, "Last year's sequel- and remake-heavy
summer set a box-office record, so this summer, more than ever, the
studios are banking on franchises designed to sell themselves primarily
to teen and pre-teen audiences."

The article included a movie producer's explanation on the rationale for
using franchise films: "It's like an extension of advertising. They're
trying to create brands so that the amount of advertising it will take
next time to get the signal through the noise is less."

While movie-goers may debate whether Spider-Man or Clones is the better
film, it does appear that studios have found a formula that works.
Franchise films are big business and will likely continue to be so.

Evaluation and analysis by CARMA International. Media Watch can be found
at www.carma.com.